Chapter 59: vacation (3)

“Have we really never met anywhere before?”

Ilesha asked with a bright smile.

“Yes, uh. Uhm. No. No? Maybe?”

Signa, sitting across from her, still felt awkward in her swimsuit.

She fidgeted nervously with her legs and feet, but the dress that would cover up this embarrassing outfit was gone.

Ilesha, who had pulled her out from under the bridge, had taken it away.

This place was the lounge of Ilesha’s villa.

Ilesha, who had disappeared with the clothes into a corner of the villa, left Signa on this balcony overlooking the coast for a long time before reappearing.

When she reappeared, the skin on her fingertips looked slightly swollen at a glance.

She probably came back after washing the clothes herself.

‘In the days of the Knights, it wasn’t always possible for squires to accompany, so this kind of chore was natural, but…’

Still, she was supposedly a princess, yet she was making someone hand-wash her clothes.

The Ilesha in front of her had just introduced herself as ‘just a low-ranking member with her name on the imperial family tree,’ but of course, Signa didn’t buy that lie at all.

“That’s strange. Hmm… You really look familiar. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before…”

Ilesha looked closely at Signa’s face, but she didn’t lean in too much.

“…I was going to land on the bridge, but I really didn’t think there would be anyone there.”

“No. This is, when you think about it, a privately owned place, isn’t it?”

“Privately owned… I suppose?”

Hearing that, Ilesha seemed to have a question come to mind.

“That’s right. Now that I think about it, this place is supposed to have quite strict access control, but what were you doing here?”

Saying that, she waved her hand lightly.

“Ah! Don’t get me wrong. I’m just curious. I’m not trying to blame you. But that outfit is quite expensive too… Hmm, you know what I mean, right?”

“I’m, well…”

Contrary to her gentle attitude, that question was sharp.

“I was allowed to… use the villa over there…”

Signa tried to find a suitable excuse.

“Oh my, that’s the Solenas family’s villa, isn’t it? Are you perhaps a member of the ducal family?”

But no matter how she thought about it, this time, there was no such thing.

She was in too special a place to say that she ‘got lost’ or ‘happened to’ come here.

“N, no, I’m not.”

Actually, she was.

“Then, are you someone connected to the ducal family? Like, you were gifted the right to stay at Solenas’s villa by the duke…”

Listening to the questions, Signa was reminded of Yukomis’s warning.

‘If it becomes known that the holy sword has chosen non-mages twice in a row, it wouldn’t be strange if someone tried to kill you.’

That was right.

Her death was already a political incident in itself.

The existence of Thermis itself was a challenge to the mage-established and mage-operated nation. Whether she intended it or not, the Emperor would feel that way.

Dissolving the Wyvern Knights and scattering all the members was, in a way, part of ‘erasing the martyrs.’ Because they were the most powerful and prestigious group of Thermis’s followers.

But now, what if Signa publicly announced her return and gathered her old comrades? It wasn’t hard to imagine how the Emperor, who was so wary of the dead person’s reputation, would react.

It was meaningless to express that she had no ulterior motives.

The Emperor wouldn’t believe her anyway, and it was even uncertain whether even Signa’s acquaintances would believe it. That’s what power was like.

“…Oh my. I’m sorry. Was I being too intrusive?”

Ilesha covered her mouth slightly with her hand.

“Sorry. It’s like an occupational disease… It’s become a habit.”

“Occupational disease?”

“Yes. Well, I’m in charge of some small administrative job… Everyone has a lot of things they want to hide from me, so.”

So Signa didn’t know how much she should tell Ilesha.

It would be simple to reveal here that she was Thermis.

The Ilesha she knew was a kind and considerate person like she seemed now.

She wasn’t someone who would deny it outright or get angry.

In addition, Signa knew a lot of facts that no one but Thermis and Ilesha herself would know.

But if she brought up those words…

That would be like forcing her to take sides between her mother and herself.

Even if she kept that as her own secret, it wouldn’t change the fact that that choice itself would be a mental burden for her.

“…Things you want to hide.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Ah, but don’t get me wrong? I just want to make sure everything is clear when I’m handling official duties. But I don’t get angry if a cute girl like you… has one or two things she’s hiding from me.”

“Besides, a girl with secrets is a bit romantic, isn’t it?”

Ilesha raised her index finger to her mouth and winked.

It was an action and line that would have looked embarrassing if someone else had done it, but it didn’t feel that way at all when Ilesha did it.

‘Wow. What on earth was that just now.’

Thump.

Rather, the complex thoughts that had been swirling around in Signa’s head disappeared completely the moment she witnessed that.

She had been much more mature than her last image in her memory.

‘She really looks like a perfect princess in a fairy tale…’

In fact, there was almost no difference in appearance.

Similar to Yukomis, her appearance must have been almost fixed from three years ago.

So this wasn’t so much a matter of appearance… but a matter of atmosphere.

A much more adult and ladylike atmosphere than Signa knew surrounded Ilesha.

‘I vaguely felt it when I briefly encountered her in my room at the Solenas mansion, but what kind of feeling should I call this…?

Mature? Relaxed?

No, it wasn’t such an old-fashioned feeling. More than that, she was…

‘Doesn’t she seem a bit… alluring?’

Rather than being due to any specific point, it just… felt that way.

Soft gestures? Slightly flushed skin? A sweet voice? An outfit that revealed the lines of her body? A close sense of distance?

‘Probably all of them.’

It was an atmosphere that was so obvious that even Signa was conscious of it.

“I also have something I couldn’t tell that person until the end.”

There, Ilesha muttered very quietly to herself.

“Yes? What did you say?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

She glossed over the mutter.

“It’s just that this meeting with you seems a bit special, so I’m unconsciously saying things I shouldn’t. I’m not usually like this, but it feels like a fated meeting to the point that…”

Ilesha covered her mouth with the back of her hand and smiled lightly.

“Hehe, fate, how funny, right? We just met. I don’t even know who you are yet.”

“Ye, yeah, it would be rude not to introduce myself.”

“It’s the same for me not introducing myself.”

“It’s a bit of a strange situation, isn’t it?”

Ilesha smiled brightly.

Signa couldn’t come to her senses at all because of this changed atmosphere of Ilesha.

Each and every word she was uttering, each and every small action, seemed to be more than enough to shatter the reason of an average man.

‘If these aren’t all calculated actions, then it’s a really amazing talent…

Of course, that wasn’t the case. Ilesha was far from such cunning.

All of this atmosphere, actions, and attitude were all unadorned and natural.

So Signa couldn’t figure out how to react even more.

“…You said you were royalty… Is this place owned by the imperial family too?”

All she could do was change the subject.

Like it was located in such a remote place, it was a rather small and simple villa.

It was located on an island a little off the coastline, so the scenery was very beautiful, but it seemed like no one usually took care of it.

Weeds were growing arbitrarily in the small garden, and rust was slowly crawling up the fence and hinges that had been exposed to the sea breeze.

The scenery here was really beautiful, but…

Frankly speaking, it wasn’t a place that was formal enough for a princess to stay.

“It is owned by the imperial family, but, look. It’s such a small villa, isn’t it? I’m just royalty in name only, I’m just a low-ranking member of the imperial family… So I could only rent a place like this.”

‘Some things never change.’

Signa laughed lightly inside.

She was hiding her identity because she thought she might be a burden and was even using honorifics with her, who had the appearance of a girl.

She was always someone who wanted everyone to treat her comfortably.

“So you don’t have to think of me as too difficult to deal with!”

Even though she was a princess, in a world without photos and mass media, it wasn’t easy to recognize who was who on the first meeting.

Even portraits weren’t something you could always have access to, and even those were usually distorted.

So she could even tell these lies.

Of course, that didn’t apply to Signa at all.

Signa knew very well that Ilesha wasn’t someone who was difficult to deal with.

“What’s the name of the wyvern outside?”

So Signa brought up a topic that the other person would like the most.

“Ah!”

Sure enough, Ilesha’s face lit up.

“It’s called Dodo! Isn’t it cute?”

“Yes. It’s very cute.”

“I’m glad you’re not scared. It’s a really good kid.”

“Yes. I can tell just by looking at its eyes.”

“You can tell?”

Ilesha suddenly grabbed Signa’s hand.

“I’m glad. I almost got hurt, so I definitely thought you’d hate it.”

“Wyverns are originally like that. They have a wide field of vision, but it’s hard for them to find objects that move slowly.”

“That’s right!”

“In the sea, it’s hard to smell because of the sea breeze, and if you’re riding a big wyvern like Dodo, it’s hard for the knight to see below either…”

With each word she added, Ilesha’s face slowly got closer.

Her amber eyes were sparkling like shining crystals.

“How do you know all that?”

“Well, I like wyverns too. I studied a bit.”

That wasn’t a lie. She really studied hard during Thermis’s time.

Flying dinosaurs, who would hate that?

It’s every man’s dream.

‘…I couldn’t become a man, though.’

As she smiled bitterly, Ilesha hugged Signa.

“Thank you for understanding!”

“You’re welcome…”

“Besides, you’re the first person in a long time to say that wyverns are cute. Everyone thinks my senses are strange!”

Signa, who suddenly had her face buried between Ilesha’s soft breasts, didn’t know what to do.

“Ugh…”

Signa recalled that when Ilesha covered her mouth and smiled, her breasts lightly swayed under her loosely loosened shirt.

Rather than deliberately looking at it, it was an unavoidable sight.

Regardless of age or gender… It was an undeniable presence, so to speak.

That was the problem.

“I’m really glad I came here. I didn’t know I’d meet such a wonderful girl like you!”

“Ugh… I’m too young to be called a girl…”

Signa was someone who wouldn’t be shaken even in front of an average beauty.

As the eldest daughter of the ducal family, she had seen all the beautiful girls and their coquetry in this world.

But this surprise attack by Ilesha was on a different level than that.

There was no way anyone could resist this unadorned favor.

‘…She used to hug me like this when something good happened, but…’

It felt completely different from that time.

Whether it was because of the height difference or because the person had really changed.

‘Is this what you call sexiness?’

She still felt repulsed by attaching such a word to a former comrade, but there was really no other way to describe it other than that word.

“You’re right. Dodo is really good. Maybe it’s the kindest wyvern I know. Well, in terms of personality, even more than Monad…”

Signa flinched slightly when her wyvern’s name came out.

However, Ilesha seemed to have taken it in a slightly different way.

“Ah… I’m sorry. I was being too casual, wasn’t I.”

“Yes? No. It’s not like that.”

Signa hurriedly waved her hands.

However, regardless of that denial, Ilesha’s attitude cooled rapidly.

“I’ve been told by my friends that I have too much contact anyway, so I unconsciously become like this.”

Ilesha slipped her hand away from the one she was holding.

“You must be uncomfortable with this, after all.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not uncomfortable with things like this.”

“…No. I think it would be good to go back early today.”

Ilesha said that and avoided looking at Signa.

“Yes? Suddenly?”

“I would like to treat you to a meal and talk, but…”

Ilesha smiled sadly.

“You must have company with you, so if I keep you for too long without saying anything, they’ll be looking for you.”

That was also true. It had been a bit long since she had left to take a walk. Everyone would be looking for her.

Especially Karat, who had always been by her side whenever Signa was kidnapped, might have had his heart drop by now.

“I’ll see you off.”

“No, I don’t want to put such a burden on you when you’re having a secret vacation.”

“…I understand.”

Ilesha’s face was already full of gloom, thinking that she had been rejected.

However, Signa didn’t forget to add one more word after that.

“Still… I’ll leave my dress here.”

Ilesha, who had been looking down, raised her head again.

She seemed to have realized what Signa wanted to say.

“I’d be happy if I could get it back tomorrow.”

It was a promise to meet again.

Signa, who had left Ilesha’s villa and was returning, sighed first.

“Haa…”

Three years was a longer time than she thought. Enough to change not only Yukomis and Silissa, but even Ilesha like that.

Signa had no idea what had happened in the meantime to make her become a lady with a dizzying atmosphere.

In addition, the reason why she suddenly became depressed like someone who was feeling guilty from the middle was also unknown.

It was really nothing.

But there was something that hadn’t changed about Ilesha.

That was that Ilesha was still a kind and trustworthy person.

It was a short reunion, but Signa could still be sure of that.

“That might be the most important thing…”

Signa, who was walking on the bridge, stopped her steps.

She had made a decision about the problem she had been 고민하던 throughout her conversation with Ilesha.

“I should tell Ilesha too.”

And she started going back towards Ilesha’s villa.

Originally, she was going to think about it slowly until tomorrow as she said, but,

If she started looking for excuses not to tell who she was, like last time, there would be no end to it.

When you think about it, there was also a reason to reveal her identity.

That younger sister, whom she only thought of as cold, was actually suffering from a mental illness because of guilt.

It wasn’t hard to guess how the good-natured Ilesha would feel about her death.

In addition, she was also deeply realizing that she couldn’t act and lie.

‘…In fact, you could even say that her entire third life was just full of mistakes.’

Now Signa had to accept that she was far from being a trustworthy leader.

‘I’m sorry about this too, since it feels like I’m only deceiving Yukomis, but…’

At least that problem was already beyond her control.

Thinking about it again, it was an act of God.

When she returned to the island where the villa was located, she could see the wyvern that Ilesha had ridden was splashing in the water from the distant coast.

It didn’t have any tools on it and wasn’t tied to a chain.

There was no one around, so it seemed like she had released it freely.

She must really trust it a lot.

“Wow.”

Dodo, was it, that wyvern stretched its long neck and put its head into the seawater, and soon caught a small fish and raised it high.

After watching that romantic scene for a while, Signa knocked on the villa door again.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Even though only a few minutes had passed, there was no answer from inside the villa.

When she pulled on the doorknob, the door just opened powerlessly.

It wasn’t locked, let alone properly closed.

She hesitated for a moment, but Signa soon shrugged and went inside the building.

She was here to reveal her identity anyway. It was between Thermis and Ilesha, and no one else.

They weren’t in a relationship where they would be upset about something like this.

‘Did she just go outside for a moment…?’

There was no sign of anyone inside the house, let alone an answer.

Instead, only the sea breeze was coming in pleasantly through the open window.

As she waited for Ilesha and looked around the lounge, Signa discovered something strange.

‘A basement door?’

There was a door leading to the basement in the short passage connecting the lounge to the dining room.

It hadn’t been noticeable when she was talking to Ilesha a little while ago. That was because it was a rather low and narrow door.

But now, the light of a bright magic lamp that didn’t match the door was leaking from beyond the door.

That was why it caught her eye now.

‘Usually, these places are used as storage for preserved food or wine.’

The Ilesha that Signa knew wasn’t someone who enjoyed drinking much, but three years had passed, so.

As much as her atmosphere had changed, it wouldn’t have been that surprising if she had developed such a hobby.

No, as much as Ilesha’s status was what it was, it seemed like she would be surprisingly well-versed in high-end alcohol.

“Hello? Is anyone inside?”

Seeing that an expensive magic lamp that didn’t match the basement warehouse at all was hanging beyond the door, Signa thought it was a bit unexpected.

The light was so bright, but there was still no sign of anyone inside.

Signa gently opened the door and went down towards the basement warehouse.

As she had seen from the outside, the inside was quite bright.

…No, in fact, it was a bit too bright. The basement was almost as bright as broad daylight.

Contrasting with the small and old door, the basement beyond the door wasn’t shabby at all. When she went down the stairs all the way, there was a space that was almost as wide as the lounge.

The ceiling, walls, and floor were all neatly packaged, and the temperature and humidity were also very comfortable, perhaps because it was being maintained with magic.

“What… is this?”

However, what surprised Signa wasn’t the fact that the basement was decorated as well as an average reception room.

In the center of that basement, a huge portrait was hanging.

It was almost as big as Signa’s height.

There… her figure was drawn.

“It’s… me?”

To be exact, her past life’s self.

That wasn’t all.

As Signa looked around, she could see the shadows of ‘herself’ that filled the entire space.

The portrait was just the one that caught her eye the most intensely.

On the walls of this basement, there were dozens of smaller portraits that densely filled the walls.

Her portraits, which she couldn’t even find a single one of at the Solenas mansion.

Signa, who had been surrounded by dozens of ‘herself,’ took a step back in fear.

Then Signa’s butt bumped into a small display case.

When she looked back at the display case, there was only one piece of paper inside.

Signa opened the display case with trembling hands and took out the piece of paper that was located at eye level.

‘To Her Imperial Highness Ileresia Lana Arle Shartasat, The beloved Princess. I, Thermis Solenas, humbly wish for blessing and protection to be with Your Highness, always.’

This was also clearly her handwriting.

The content was also something that Signa remembered very well.

‘I have heard that Your Highness has mastered the ways of magic since early in life, and has already reached a level where you are comparable to the elders of the imperial palace.

I am unworthy to ask, but I admire Your Highness’s abilities and humbly wish for you to provide assistance to my knighthood. If Your Highness were to grace my humble knighthood, there would be no greater honor than this…?”

Awkward sentences that were covered with stiff and rigid high honorifics.

This was the first letter she had sent to Ilesha.

It was a letter inviting her to join the Wyvern Knights.

“Thi, this… The letter was still left? No, more than that, why is this in such a place…?”

That wasn’t all.

The letter in this display case was just one of the many items displayed here.

When she looked around the basement more, there were traces of herself that had been intentionally erased outside.

Almost… obsessively.

The flags of the imperial family and the Solenas family that she had raised, fragments of broken armor, torn clothes.

They were clearly all items related to herself.

“And why are you displaying this…?”

Only items related to herself, and nothing else.

If she could give it a name, she could even call this place the ‘Thermis Museum.’

“Why…?”

And the owner of this space was, needless to say, Ilesha.